The Demon Fox Maiden
by YukiNoFubuki
Summary: Naruko was revealed to be a girl to the entire village, but right as she was settling in with her life, she was dragged through a warp into another time or dimension. Fem!Naruko and others. OCs to be added.
1. Thunder Storm

"Naruto?!" Naruko sprang from tree from tree, grinning in satisfaction as she ran from the jonin chasing her. They might fancy themselves the village's elites, but they cant even track a academy student, whom they still think is a boy!

Finally, she stopped on a wide tree branch, catching her breath while she stabilized herself by putting her hand on the rough wood on the wide trunk of the tree. Sliding a hand under her coat, she tugged on the cloth strips that held her chest down.

Despite her growing body, nobody but the Hokage, Iruka and her doctor know of her true gender. Allowing herself a few more seconds of rest, she pulled the large scroll from her back and unrolled it. Squinting in the quickly fading light of dusk, she skimmed through the list of techniques, discarding the ones with a long chain of hand seals. Finally, she came to one that included only one.

_Taju..._ She settled down and concentrated her chakra, while had become more and more disruptive over the past few months of her academy days.

-.-.-.-

"Naruto!" Iruka called his pupil's name as he dashed through the thick forest to the clearing that Naruto usually went when he was bullied, or merely wanted to be alone. Suddenly, he noted the trees had footprints, too big to be left by the sandals that went on Naruto's usually small feet. Next to it, he spotted a smaller set of prints and his eyes widened in alarm. If another ninja found Naruto, there will be no mercy for stealing from the Hokage! He sprang up onto the branch and took off through the trees, the ground passing under him in a blur.

-.-.-.-

Naruko held her palm up, imagining her chakra spinning in a cyclone. Once again, trails of white chakra circled above her palm, and exploded, throwing her back against a tree. Fuming, she gave up. How can a technique that requires _no_ hand seals be so hard to master?! Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Swiftly rolling up the scroll, she whirled around to face her pursuer. In front of her stood Iruka.

"Iruka sensei!" she cried, taking a step toward her teacher.

Iruka extended a hand. "Naruto, give me the scroll. You're in a lot of trouble. I'll do my best to help, but I must bring it back to the Hokage first. It's too dangerous."

Naruko nodded and jumped across the distance between the two branches. Suddenly, she lashed out a fist and struck the older ninja between the ribs. Roaring with fury, he swung a arm, catching her on the side of the head and sending her flying off the branch. "Impossible!" he cried.

"How did you know it's not me?!" Before Naruko's shocked eyes, Iruka changed to Mizuki, the very man who told her about the scroll. On his back was 2 huge shurikens.

Wiping a trail of blood from her lips, she answered. "You called me Naruto; and we were alone." Her vision started to cloud and blur.

Mizuki's rage subsided to puzzlement. "Naruto is your name... why wouldn't Iruka call you that?" Before he can say more, a kick knocked the breath out of him and he flew into the trunk of a neighboring tree. As the dust settled, he stood up, coughing. The ninja advancing upon him is Iruka, his face stormy with rage.

"How dare you harm a student of mine, Mizuki?!" he demanded. A kunai stuck out of his left arm, and he limped.

Seeing his injuries, Mizuki regained his confidence. "What's the matter, Iruka?" he sneered.

Iruka pulled the kunai our of his arm and threw it at Mizuki. The other man easily deflected it with one of the projectiles on his back. "If a jonin came this way, the traps you set wouldn't even slow him down. You'd probably be dead by now."

Mizuki twisted and threw the giant shuriken at Iruka. The other chunin quickly pulled out a kunai and blocked the spinning blades. The force threw him off the branch and Iruka fetched up against a tree. The shuriken flew off into the night, cutting off branches as it disappeared. Laughing, Mizuki unbuckled his second shuriken and walked toward the immobile man. Pointing one of the points of the star at Iruka, he sneered.

"There will be no survivors. You and Naruto died when you were amused by rogue ninjas. I chased him off, but wasn't able to finish him. I was only able to recover the scroll..." As he spoke, the shuriken started a downward path toward Iruka, when a dense chakra stopped the blade cold. His eyes widening, he looked at the tree Naruto was sitting against. He wasn't there. Instead, he was walking toward them, his face black with anger.

-.-.-.-

Naruko walked step by step toward the man who had brought her teacher down with such low tactics. Mizuki whirled to face her. "Don't come another step, you brat! Take another step and I'll castrate you and then slowly kill you after I'm finished with your teacher!"

Naruko smiled. She reached up and pulled off the goggles. Long hair that had been hidden partially and tied up fell down her shoulder. "I'm a girl." She crossed her fingers in the Clone Seal and concentrated. A burst of energy rippled the leaves in the area. One by one, copies of her appeared in a cloud of smoke; some sitting, some leaning against trees, some just standing with their arms crossed.

Mizuki looked around in terror. "I-it can't be! You have trouble controlling your chakra. How could you have used such a advanced technique?!" While he talked, Naruko sprang forward and knocked him away from Iruka with a kick.

"You know... I _could_ just knock you out with all my clones, but I'm not that cruel." She grinned, the tips of he mouth curving up in a adorable smile. "Instead, I'll use you as a test subject for a technique I've been working on, but I can't seem to get working..." As quickly, as she had smiled, the expression was gone in a instant. She gestured to two clones. "Stop him."

At her movement, two Narukos grabbed Mizuki's shoulder and held him upright, ignoring his protests.

Naruko walked up to the traitorous ninja. "Why they let someone like you be a chunin is beyond me... Iruka is a ninja than you... and a much better friend and man..." At her words, Iruka's eyes teared, but he quickly wiped them away. Reaching Mizuki, Naruko held up her palm and concentrated. Thin white trails of chakra swirled. She pressed her hand against Mizuki's face, and the chakra exploded, sending Mizuki flying through the trees.

Exhausted, she collapsed. As her clones crowded around in concern, she opened one eye and looked at them. "You can go now." As one, they nodded and disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke. She closed her eyes again, and slept.

With a grunt, Iruka stood and collected the scroll from where it laid leaned against the tree. He then walked over to Naruko and lifted her up, putting her on him back. Brushing a strand of blond hair from her sleeping face, he smiled and began the long journey back, thinking up excuses for Naruko as he walked through the quiet rustle of leaves in the midnight wind.

The rustle of the leaves seems to talk to her, and edges of Naruko's lips curved lightly in a smile.

"Be strong like a thunder storm."

Note: I like this first chapter. Anyone guess what's the white chakra? Feel free to suggest stuff, and review. If you like it, you can also check out my other fanfictions (theres only two others QQ). Hope your like this chapter too! I'll try to update a lot, but I have school work too.


	2. Oiroke no Jutsu

Naruko stood in front of Iruka for her final genin exam. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel restricted in her clothes. Everyone knew she was a girl; the Hokage made her give a public apology for causing the uproar. Then after she gave permission, Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed her gender.

Now, she wore the feminine clothing that she longed to wear; everyone else wore them, and she was the exception because she had to keep her gender a secret.

The boys' reaction was positive. Her long yellow hair drew attention, as well as her petite figure and feminine features drew glances. The reason Naruto looked so much like a girl was that she really is a girl. They made tentative moves toward her at first despite the monster she had sealed in her, but they stopped after she let them know she wasn't interested.

The girls' attitude toward Naruko hasn't changed much though. They never gave Naruto much thought; merely noted his feminine looks, and now that Naruko was revealed to be a female, she was able to join in the affairs that excluded males. Hyuga Hinata was a exception. At first she was disappointed, but it cleared up really fast. Naruto's cheerful but controlled attitude allowed her to become quick friends with shy, quiet Hinata.

Iruka's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Naruko, now will be as good a time as any to demonstrate the Bunshin no Jutsu..."

Muttering a apology, she made the Clone Seal. Next to her, 5 clones materialized. Iruka watched and thought for a bit. "Technically, I shouldn't let you pass, because i asked you to produce genjutsu clones, but you produced Shadow Clones... which is a more advanced technique. Very well, I'll let you pass." Winking at her, he tossed her her headband. "Meet me in front of Ramen Ichiraku after I finish the testing?"

Excited, Naruko could only nod. As she exited the room, Iruka smiled after her and called, "Next!" The classroom door opened and a academy student shuffled through.

-.-.-.-

Naruko leaned over the railing on top of a building; her head tilted up, watching the clouds and picking shapes out of them. Suddenly, a small shape crashed into her from behind. Crying out in surprise, she leaned forward and over the railing, barely hanging on to the bars. A small boy peered over the edge of the building at her. The boy wore a long scarf and was missing teeth.

With a huge effort, she pulled herself back up and sat panting against the railing, her heart racing. He gaze shifted to the boy that almost killed her. "Who are you?" she asked.

The boy drew him together his small size and pulled himself into his full height. "My name is Konohamaru!" he practically shouted.

Naruko reached out and grabbed his scarf, pulling him closer until their faces were less than a handwidth apart. "Well then, Konohamaru... tell me one good reason why I shouldn't chuck you over the the building this minute?"

Konohamaru's breath caught in his throat, and he managed to get out a "you wouldn't dare."

Naruko sighed and stood up, lifting Konohamaru with her. Of course, she wouldn't really throw him, but he wouldn't know that. As soon as his foot left the ground, Konohamaru started yelling.

A wind blew behind her, and out of the mini-tornado walked one of the village's most skilled ninjutsu specialists, Ebisu. He pushed up his black sunglasses, looking down at Naruko.

"Remove your hands from the Honored Grandson this moment."

_Honored Grandson?!_ Whatever that means, to Naruko, she could now toss the boy over the building because Ebisu is strong enough to catch him. She drew back her arm, ignoring Konohamaru's wails, and stopped. Another idea formed in her head. Crouching down, she jumped off the side of the building, disappearing into the maze-like streets of Konoha. Behind her, she saw Ebisu following her.

As she ran, she looked at the "honored grandson" she carried on her shoulder. "So...why are you here?"

Assured he wasn't going to be flying off buildings, Konohamaru answered. "Everyone is talking about you. I want you to teach me ninjutsu."

Naruko was surprised. Why would anyone want her to teach them? She had the lowest grade of the academy, along with Shikamaru, Choji and Kiba. In fact, they were tied for last with only the fact that they were present in the class keeping them from being kept in the academy forever. She couldn't even cast the most basic jutsu!

At last, she stopped in the park. "Well... I'm telling you now. I have nothing to teach you. Your friend Ebisu is a much better teacher than I am, as much as I hate to admit it."

In a flash, the jonin was in front of them, a cyclone of fallen leaves in his wake. "Step away from the Honored Grandson, demon!" he demanded.

A flash of annoyance hit Naruko. "Grandson of _who_?" she yelled, annoyed.

Ebisu stopped walking toward them. "The grandson of the Hokage, of course."

Naruko was stunned. The geezer had a grandson? She made to push Konohamaru toward Ebisu, but he clung to her shirt. Ebisu glared down at the two.

"In that case, I will have to remove you from the presence of the honored grandson by force!"

Naruko brought her body into a fighting stance. "Tajuu Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"

The ninjutsu stopped Ebisu cold. The forbidden jutsu was sealed because of the enormous strain it put on the user, and Naruko isn't fazed at all! Still, he is a jonin, not someone as weak as Mizuki. "Come!"

The army of Narukos advanced toward him and Ebizu inhaled a deep breath. He jumped and kicked the nearest clone, and she dissipated in a cloud. As Ebisu wrecked his way through the clones, Naruko lifted her hand and the clones fell back. "What's wrong, demon?"

Naruko grinned, and proceeded to slowly unzip her jacket. Ebisu's jaws fell open. "I-I..." he stammered. "Honored grandson, please close your eyes!" He backed away from the girls, while Konohamaru looked on in amazement. "I am a gentleman! I will not be fazed by such seduction!" The last of his will crumbled and Ebisu turned away. Behind him, every clone ran toward him and he launched yelling into the air, propelled by dozens of kicks.

"Naruko, you must teach me this!" Konohamaru said, excited.

Naruko scratched her head. "Well...first, you have to master the transformation jutsu..." She took a stick and scratched a picture into the dirt, and Konohamaru learned from her drawing.

-.-.-.-

That night, while Naruko was having ramen with Iruka, Konohamaru entered his grandfather's study. "Duel me, geezer!" he yelled.

Hiruzen waited for Konohamaru to charge toward him like he always did, but was puzzled to see him made the seals for the transformation jutsu. "What-," he said, and a puff of clouds cut him off.

In the place of Konohamaru, a beautiful raven-haired girl greeted him. The Hokage's eyes bulged and his face burned from embarrassment. Some blood vessels burst and a major nosebleed flooded out of his nose.

Note: So ended the rule of the third Hokage (not really). Konohamaru created the Oiroke no Jutsu with help from Naruko, because Naruko never had use for it (Kudos to you, Konohamaru!). Her natural female charms were usually enough after the great reveal, although some call it the power of the kitsune. Suggestions, reviews and comments are welcome~


	3. White Fang

"Okay. I will now be announcing your teams based on my meeting with the Hokage. However, dued to him being hospitalized due to blood loss, we decided on our own with the jonins that will be your teachers." Iruka read from his sheet of paper. "...Choji, Shikamaru, Ino... in honor of your parents, you will be put in the same team as each other under Asuma Sarutobi. Hinata, Kiba and Shino, you will be put under Kurenai Yuhi. Finally, Naruko, Sakura, Sasuke... you are under Hatake Kakashi."

Iruka collected his paper and went toward the door. Before he left, he looked back. "Report to your classrooms after I leave. Don't be late, or you will regret it." After he left, a chatter started among the genin in the room.

-.- Hours Later -.-

"Why is Kakashi-sensei so slow?" Sakura paced the room impatiently.

"Stop pacing, Sakura. You're giving me a headache." Sasuke stared at the blackboard with a bored expression. Sakura relunctantly sat down and started fiddling with her fingers.

Naruko finally stood up. She walked over to the blackboard and took the eraser. "Wait, what are you going to do, Naruko? A jonin wouldn't fall for that; you'd probably get us in trouble!" Sakura demanded.

Naruko opened the door slightly and stuck the chalkboard eraser between the frame and the door. "I'm bored. If a jonin is going to be late, why shouldn't I do it?" The trap set, Naruko back down on her seat, her expression taking no joy from the trap she just set. A few seconds after she sat, the door slid open and the eraser dropped.

It hit the jonin on the head, making his silver-white hair completely white. He caught it with his hand and examined it. "I suppose I deserved that, but I hate bratty kids like you. So... which one of you did it?"

Naruko raised her hand. Kakashi walked over and set his hand heavily on her head. "Lets see...I hate you already." He looked at Sasuke and Sakura. "And you two are too dull. I hate all of you." With that, he walked over to the blackboard and set the eraser onto it. "For that, I will make tomorrow's test extra hard for you."

Sakura groaned, while Naruko and Sasuke remained silent. She raised her hand. "What will the test be?" she asked.

"I can't tell you. What I CAN tell you, however, is that it's so intense, you'd throw up if you eat breakfast. My advice? Don't eat it." He turned and walked out the room. "Class dismissed." As the door closed, pieces of paper fluttered down to each of the genin.

Naruko opened hers up. It was a map to the training field.

-.-.-.-

She heard a knock on her door as she laid on her bed, almost naked, and staring at the ceiling. Sighing, she slipped into her jacket and opened the door. It was Sasuke.

"Is there anything you need?" she asked, standing off to the side and inviting him in.

"Naruko. What do you think about Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke sat in the chair at the dining table while Naruko took a seat at the edge of her bed.

She paused as she thought over the question. "You mean the map?" She stood up and went to get her pants. She dug around in the pockets and took out the piece of paper that had fluttered down.

Sasuke nodded. "Didn't think a dunce like you would have noticed it."

Naruko glared at him. "Well then, aren't you a rude one; to say such a thing to a female." She pulled the map slightly apart and poked her finger through a clean cut in the center of the paper. It was a slice left by a kunai. "I wonder when he pinned the maps up there. He couldn't have set it up beforehand. He got the message to meet us after we got it."

Sasuke changed the subject, having nothing to say to that. "What do you think the test will be tomorrow?"

"I have no idea. All i know is that I'm going to eat something; no matter what he says. If i throw up, so be it." Naruko folded her pants and laid it at the foot of her bed. "Now, if you have nothing else, please leave me so i can catch up on my sleep..."

With a creak, Sasuke rose from his seat and walked out the door, closing it with a soft click. Naruko waited a few seconds and blew out her lamp, casting the room into darkness. She undressed and slipped into her soft pajamas and pulled the covers over herself.


	4. You Failed, Naruko

"Yo!" Kakashi suddenly swung out of a tree straight into the three genin's path. Naturally, Sakura screamed and lashed out instinctively. Immediately, Kakashi's free hand shot forward and blocked the fist, while still reading the book.

"Don't scare us like that, sensei!" Sakura yelled, her face red with embarrassment. Kakashi looked up from his book. "Ah, sorry. Didn't think you'd scare so easily." He pulled back into the tree and when they looked up, he was gone.

The three continued on to the clearing next to the lake. They found Kakashi waiting for them. "Oh! You're here!" he siad, still reading. He started wavering...and then disappeared.

"What the heck? Where's sensei?" asked Sakura. She looked around.

"It must have been a clone. Should have known from yesterday that he would be late."

Before Naruko can answer, a breeze picked up, and Kakashi appeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Ignoring the flashy entrance, Naruko drew a kunai and hurled it at Kakashi, who caught it between two fingers.

"What's the big idea, Naruko?" he asked, putting his book into his pouch. His hand lingered in it.

"Just checking that you're real, sensei. By the way, making a totally awesome entrance still doesn't make up for the fact that you're late!" Naruko answered. Kakashi waited, as if he was expecting more. When Naruko didn't say anything else, he looked at Sakura and Sasuke in turn.

Finally, he sighed. "Well, since none of you are going to ask why I have my hand in my pouch, I will just relieve you of your curiosity." He drew two bells out of the pocket and whirled them in small circles in the air.

"Guess what's this?" he asked. Sasuke answered.

"Bells, duh. And let me guess, you're going to have us get them from you, yes?"

Kakashi feigned surprise. "Yes. How did you know?"

The raven haired boy shrugged. "It's a game I used to play...with my brother and father."

"Wait, sensei. There's only two though," Sakura protested.

Kakashi rubbed his hands together... gleefully? and said, "Yes... and the person who doesn't get the bell misses lunch." He gestured behind him. "That person is going to be tied there." Sakura groaned and held her stomach, while Sasuke looked uneasy.

"Well then...let us begin. There are no rules. Remember... attack me like you want to kill me."

"Will do," the three genin said together, and they vanished, leaving Kakashi standing alone.

-.-.-.-

_Now...let's see. Who shall I take first?_ Kakashi checked the wind and noted Sakura's position. He couldn't locate Sasuke and Naruko's position yet, but he will eventually. He started toward Sakura, but a motion behind him stopped him. Naruko stabbed at him with a kunai while another one flew toward him from the trees. Swaying to one side, he dodged the girl and used her as a shield. A puff of smoke later, he held a wood chunk in his hands, weighing him down.

"The first and most basic of the shinobi arts...Taijutsu." He dropped the wood and jumped, landing on his hands and spun, kicking Naruko who was coming toward him after she used the substitution jutsu in the face. With a cry, she fell back, but to his surprise, she disappeared. _Shadow clone..._ He looked toward where the kunai came from. _That must be the original then._ As he turned toward the trees, he heard a slosh of water.

Whirling around, he saw a dozen clones of Naruko flying toward him, kunai in hand. He dropped to a crouch and dashed into their midst, fists flying. Within seconds, the last of the clones dissipated in a cloud of smoke. He still couldn't sense the real Naruko. Ah well.

"Lesson one, Taijutsu...postponed." He stroded off into the forest toward Sakura. "Art two, genjutsu..."

He slowly disappeared in a wreath of chakra, the genjutsu hiding him from any viewers in the vicinity. He swung from tree to tree and came upon Sakura, who looked around cautiously. Suddenly, she tensed and looked straight at him.

_Too late._ He released the genjutsu that was hiding him, and at the same time casting another one. _You did well to detect me though._ As he turned away, Sakura fainted, lost in whatever visions the jonin had subject her to. A moving shape flashed past him, and as he whirled around, Sakura was gone. He really need to stop underestimating the three genin. One was one of the elite Uchiha clan; one had the largest amount of chakra in the village, even more than the Hokage; and one with scores that tied with Sasuke in all her intellectual exams.

"Lesson three, ninjutsu!" He opened his book and jumped through the forest. Soon, he picked up a faint chakra signal and he veered toward it. He stopped Sasuke standing alone in a clearing with no other chakra signals that he could detect. "Well well, if it isn't the young Uchiha," he said, walkinng toward the raven hair.

Sasuke said nothing.

"Did you have anything to do with Sakura?" Kakashi tried again. Once again, no reaction came from Sasuke.

Then, "I'm not like the other two." Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow skeptically.

"Really...I would like to see that." The words barely left his mouth when Sasuke was jumping at him. A barrage of blows flew at him, greater in volume than even Naruko's twelve clones. Finally, he caught one side jab to his head, and held the boy immobile. Sasuke merely kicked off the ground and kicked him again.

Kakashi removed one hand from the boy's arm and blocked the kick. His eyes widened as Sasuke reached down for the bells. With a deft movement of his hand, he flung Sasuke toward the ground. As soon as Sasuke hit the ground, he initiated a series of hand signs. Still skidding, he brought his finger to his mouth and breathed in, expanding his chest. All Kakashi managed was a "Crap" before Sasuke released the jutsu.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A fireball blew out of his mouth and engulfed his sensei in the blistering flames. The flames lasted for a good ten seconds and as the last of the fire died away, no trace was left.

"_Well...it seems you made me use taijutsu. But the lesson was on ninjutsu, wasn't it?" _The voice came all around Sasuke, and he spun, looking for the source. _"Now...for the greatest jutsu of them all..."_ The ground erupted and a hand fastened on his feet.

"Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!" The hand dragged him under ground and the earth rose to meet him, covering him up to his neck. As he went down, Kakashi went up, and as the jutsu ended, the one-eyed ninja looked down upon him. "Lesson complete, and one down."

Suddenly, a shadow moved up and Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruko appeared behind Kakashi and sent a powerful kick. Caught off guard, Kakashi barely blcoked it, skidding on the ground several feet sideways.

"Ow, that hurts, Naruko," he groaned. He shook his hand. Without a reply, the girl rushed toward him with a kunai. Her eyes widened as she vanished. The jonin appeared behind the genin and smashed the back of her neck, stunning her. Before she fell to the ground, he pinned both of her arms behind her back and held her kunai to the back of her neck.

"Taijutsu...lesson complete, at last." He tightened his grip on Naruko and forced the kunai closer. "Now...tell me, where is Sakura."

Naruko gritted her teeth against the pain and said nothing. Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, tell me or Naruko dies." Sasuke watched with a torn expression. The blonde willed her body to withstand the pain for a bit more and Sasuke's will to hold on for a bit longer. She slowly moved her foot behind Kakashi's. Finally, it was time,

With a roar, Sakura leaped out of the trees and smashed her joined fists toward Kakashi's head. His visible eyes wide with surprise, he tried to move, but Naruko fastened her hands around his and tangled her feet around his legs. Sakura's fists landed squarely on his shoulder as he pitched forward, off balance. The three of them crashed and threw up a cloud of dust. As the cloud cleared, Sakura sat on Kakashi with a kunai to his neck, while Naruko took the bells off of Kakashi's pouch button. Kakashi struggled for a bit, but as the bells left his pouch, he stopped.

Naruko walked over to Sasuke and pulled him out of the ground, the earth around him becoming soft as Sasuke and Naruko emitted chakra into it. The blonde tossed a bell to Sakura, who caught it with one hand. Sasuke looked annoyed, but said nothing. Naruko rubbed the other bell for a second, before she tossed the bell to Sasuke, who also caught it, surprised. He looked at her questioningly.

"I already had breakfast, and I dont feel hunger so much for some reason," she answered. Then, before their eyes, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A figure walked out of the forest, seemingly out of the trunk of a tree, clapping.

"Well done, you two," he said. He looked pitying at Naruko. "Too bad, you failed. Now, you may go back to the academy while you two smart friends here can go on being genins under me."

Author's words: How is this chapter :D It's a bit longer than my other ones, so enjoy! Remember to review, comment and suggest some ideas if you like it!"


	5. Kyuubi no Yoko

A hush fell over the genins. Naruko looked at her feet. She was fully prepared to be left back when she gave the bell to Sasuke, but now that it happened, it was still hard to accept.

"Now, you two may go have lunch. Naruko, you are coming with me; a word before I tie you up." Reluctantly, Sasuke and Sakura walked toward the stack of bento while Naruko followed her sensei into the forest.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the two genin, Kakashi's expression changed from angry to a smile. "Now, I hope I didn't scare you. You passed, but those other two still need to be tested."

Upon hearing those words, Naruko's eyes widened in shock and wonder. "I passed? How? I didn't get a bell..." She said that last part quietly, not wanting to remind him.

"You misunderstand the point of the exercise, Naruko," Kakashi said. "I always fail the entire team though, so I don't know what to do if those two failed. As for why you passed, you won't abandon your friends, and is willing to sacrifice yourself to help them. That is a important quality if you wish to thrive in Konoha. Every one of us knows this."

Naruko shuffled her feet. "Thank you, sensei...i am honored, but should they not pass..."

Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay. Now...if you'll cooperate with me for a bit, here's what we'll do..."

-.-.-.-

"What are they walking about?" Sakura asked, staring at the bento in her hands and leaning again the wooden post in front of the memorial; not having the appetite. The girl that all the adults called a demon was willing to fail for them to pass; so what did that make them?

Sasuke shrugged. He hadn't even touched his lunch yet.

"Look, they're coming back."

He looked up to see the two people walking toward them. He stood as they came before him and Sakura. Kakashi summoned a coil of rope from a scroll and tied Naruko to the post.

"I will leave you to eat, but no feeding Naruko. I'm going to go see the Hokage for our next mission, for the two of you that passed." He looked at Naruko as he said it. She lowered her eyes. _Nice acting!_ "If you give her any food, you will fail also. This mission is easy enough that I can do it myself, so I don't have a problem with failing the rest of you." With that, he disappeared, leaving the three genin in silence.

For a while, none of them said a word. Finally, Sakura broke the silence. "So...what did you talk about with him?"

Naruko said nothing, but she looked away from Sakura. Sakura didn't push her any further and they fell back into a uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Sasuke stood up. "Screw Kakashi and his rules. I won't stand and let someone like you be hungry when you were the one that allowed us to get the bells with your idea." He tore open the package and offered Naruko the food.

"Don't..." Naruko protested, and sealed her mouth as the chopsticks prodded her lips. Sasuke signed and whispered in Naruko's ear. Naruko' eyes widened and a small smile played at her lips, subtle enough that Sakura and Sasuke didn't notice it. She nodded, and obediently opened her mouth.

Behind them, deep in the earth, Kakashi hid, watching their every move. He watched as each of them ate, with Sakura and Naruko ending up sharing, with some from Sasuke's box, since they eat less than him. He closed his eyes and briefly wished for the return of his own youth. Then he thought back to yesterday, when he visited the Uchiha household and played with his former teammates' children. No...the present was enough for him.

He waited a while longer before he went back into the forest underground. Climbing out of the earth, he circled around the forest to the three genins' front and walking out, holding his book.

"Are you to finished?"

Sasuke and Sakura nodded.

"Good. Untie Naruko and you two can come with me. Naruko, you are dismissed. Report to the academy tomorrow." He turned around and stroded into a forest when a heavy weight knocked into him from behind. He twisted and found Sasuke sitting on him and holding a kunai to his neck. A foot stepped in front of him and he looked up, recognizing Sakura.

"I'm sorry, sensei, but can you allow Naruko to pass?" she asked, squatting down.

Kakashi twisted again, more violent; throwing Sasuke off. As fast as lightning, he disarmed the raven-head, but before he could strike him, Naruko crashed into him. He took hold of her arm and twisted it behind her, locking a foot around her legs and pulled, bringing her down to her feet.

"Well...that was unexpected."

Sasuke and Sakura both took up combat stances, but Kakashi allowed Naruko to go. She pulled herself to her feet and stood off to the side, smiling widely.

Kakashi slowly clapped. "Congratulations, you two have now formally passed."

Sasuke and Sakura looked confused and Kakashi laughed. "Naruko was the only to pass before, and now you passed too. A ninja should never leave her teammate behind if only her life is at stake." He clapped both of them on the shoulders. "When you gave the food to Naruko, you helped her, despite the risk of bringing my wrath down upon you. Then, you attacked me in order to force me to pass Naruko; even though you failed in your objective.

Remember this; if you can choose anything to remain with you for the rest of your life, choose your comrades. Life without your comrades is not a life worth living."

The two genin were stunned. "You mean you know about the food?"

Kakashi nodded and turned to leave. "You three are dismissed. Meet me in front of the Hokage's building tomorrow morning. My job now is to make sure you dont fail in your missions, and that you can protect yourself and the people closest to you." He smiled and waved, and disappeared.

The three genins bid each other goodbye and each other them went their separate way home.

-.-.-.-

She laid stretched out on the bench, looking at the clouds. Her friend from the academy, Shikamaru laid on the floor nearby. They laid in a friendly silence, enjoying the breeze. Naruko broke the silence. "How's your sensei, Azuma?"

Shikamaru thought for a bit before her started complaining. "He keeps trying to get me to move. He doesn't get that I'm naturally lazy."

Naruko laughed. "Sounds like fun. What did you have to do to pass?" Even though she can't see him, Shikamaru frowned.

"Well, first he had us spar with him, and then for some reason, he taught me shogi and played me for the rest of the time while Ino and Choji continued sparring. Why did he teach me shogi?"

For someone who was so smart, he was so slow sometimes. Well, if he can't figure it out on his own, she wasn't going to tell him.

"What about you, Naruko?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing much. We learned so much though..." she drifted back into silence.

The sky started to darken, and Shikamaru stood up with a grunt and his signature catchphrase of "what a drag." "Sorry, if I don't get back soon, my mom will get mad at me, and when that happens, nobody is happy. See ya around, Naruko." He trudged down the staircase, slowly; leaving Naruko in the darkening roof of the building.

_**Did you have a fun**** day?**_

Naruko shot up straight, looking around for the source of the voice. She stood up and turned in a circle, looking for a person.

_**It's no use, you won't see**_** _me._** Naruko quickly put a hand to her head. There was no doubt about it; the deep echoing voice was coming from her head.

"Who...no, _what_ are you?" she asked.

The voice chuckled and the pitch lightened, with the echoing disappearing. When it spoke again, it was that of a female. **_Me? You might say I'm your friend, your guardian or your curse. People call me the Nine-tailed Fox though, Kyuubi no Yoko. Pleased to meet you, Naruko. You can hear my voice at last._**

Author's Comments: Another chapter done! This one is slightly shorter though, but this seemed like a good place to leave off. Finally, cheers, for I got a new laptop and can update more often now! Please review; if you like the chapter, comment; if something's wrong, feel free to suggest stuff!


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